Shipping basket cover fastener



SePt- 27, 1932- w.4 w. HARGROVES, JR 1,880,132

SHIPPING BASKET COVER FASTENER Filed July 2, 1931 "In" c F lummiii\\\\ Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1WILLIS W. HARGROVES, JR.,

VIRGINIA.

OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T PILANTERS MANUFACTURING C50.,` INC., OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF.

SHIPPING BASKET COVIEIRk FASTENER Application filed July 2, 1931. Serial No. 548,425.

The present invention relates to afastener for securing the tops and covers of shipping containers or the like, and hasparticular reference to fasteners for the covers of vegeta-s ble or fruit baskets.

It is the object of the vpesent invention to provide for the above*v stated' purposes a fastener of a unitary construction and carried solely by the basket body and-,having interengageable locking parts, one of which will extend through an opening in the cover and is movable to interengaging position with the other part, whereby the cover may be rmly fastened and held in place, said interchangeable parts being quickly disengageable, without the aid of tools, to permit the' removal of the cover.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a fastener for shipping basket covers and which comprises interengageable parts carried by the container or basket, one arranged on the insideof the basket wall and the other on the outside thereof, in substantially parallel relation with its side-wall whereby the baskets may be readily nested and stacked without injury or deformation to said fastener, or in anywise hindering the packing or removal of the contents of the basket.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a fastener for the covers of shippng baskets, wherein the fastener is provided with two upwardly projecting interengageable parts carriedY by the body of the basket and disposed on opposite faces of a side wall thereof and at its upper edge, said parts of the fastener extending beyond the upper edge of the basket, whereby the edge portion of the cover will be received between said interengageable portionsof the fastener to prevent radial shifting ,movement of the cover in either direction, one of said interengageable portions of the fastener extending through the cover and both being of such length as they may be bent one over the other.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the sundry details of construction, combination and arrangements of parts hereinafter more fully de- Inithe drawing, which shows by way of ex ample an embodiment of the invention as at present devised Figure l shows a perspective viewof the basket equipped with the fasteners of the present invention and securing the cover thereof in position;

Figure-2 is a fragmentary sectional view o throughthe cover edge portion of the basket and showing the normal position of the fastener before it is moved to fastening position and, also, illustrating the position the outer edge of the cover assumes with respect tothe parts of the fastener;

showing parts of the fastener in interlocking position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the structure shown in Figure 3. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate modifications, and

Fig. 7 is a view of the loop from which the fastener is formed.

The containeror basket on which the present invention is adapted for employment may be of anyfof the common Vtypes now generally in use for packing and shipping fruits, vegetables and the like. The basket B is formed, usually, by a plurality of wooden staves or splints 10, yupwardly extending to form the side wall of the basket, and held in position and reinforced at their upper edge between inner and outer hoops 11 and 12 and, a

if desired, by intermediate hoop or hoops 13. The bottom 111 of the basket may be of any suitable construction.

The top or cover T may be of the usual type and may comprise a hoop or rim l5, which is ofthe same size as the basket rim, and a series of slats 16 arranged in any desired'inanner and'nailed or otherwise fastened to the rim hoop 15. Itis ordinarily desirable to have the staves of the basket and the slats 16 of the cover spaced apart for ventilation purposes; however, this'is not necessary, but with respect to the top it is desired `to have suitable openings 16a provvided adjacent its rim through Which-the fastener member may extend and such open'- Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2 and y spaced around the periphery of the rim `of the basket.

Each of the fasteners comprise a length` of -ieirible or malleable wire (which canl be bent by the fingers of the hand) bentupon itself, at its medial portion, to forma U- shaped loop. The free endsY .ofthe loop are driven for a distance through the hoopsV 11 and 12 from the inner side yof the basket so that legs 17 thereof will project 'on lthe outside of basket. These leg portions `17` are bent upwardly to'lie substantially parallel with the side wall of the basket and project above .the edge thereof for a distance, preferably, slightly greater than the thickness of the cover. in-order that the extremities Y thereof will project above theupperis'urface of the cover T. The closed end portionl18 of the loop is extended upwardly on theginside of the basket'and projects for a distance con.

siderable beyond the upper end Vof the mem.

bers 17. Y

Thus, it will be seen that the fastening member F consists of a unitary piece of material which is permanently secured to the basket and provides interengageable members 17 and 18 which may be bent to interlocking position, the members being-spaced apart so as to receive between them the rim portion 15 of the coverand thereby prevent the radial shifting movement of the cover in either direction off of the top edge of the basket, while another of the fasteners F is being fastened. It is preferred also that the loop or bight member 18 be arranged on the inside of the basket and of such length as to' extend through an opening 16a in the cover, whereby it may be bent downwardly around the edge of the rim 15 of the cover and over the legs 17 for interlocking engagement there-V with, as clearly shown in Figure 3, although i the arrangement of these parts 17 and 18 may be reversed without departing from the spirit of the invention. The leg portions 17 are then bent downwardly through the loop 18 of the fastener and over the bight X thereof in interlocking Vposition therewith, thus secure ly and iirmlyholding the cover T in position on the edge of the basket. When in this downwardly extending position, the extremities Y of the member 17 preferably lie below the lower edge of the hoop 12 so that the finger maybe readily inserted in back of said member 17, in the clearance there provided, so that said member may be easily moved upwardly in order that the bight or loop X may Figure 2 so that the cover T may be removed from the basket.A

As seen from the drawing, the fastener of the present invention is preferably applied at the time the basket is fabricated with its interengaging parts lying on opposite faces of a sidewall of basket and substantially parallel with the sides thereof so that they will not hinder the nesting or stacking ofthe baskets for shipping Vpurposes and will not hinder the packing or removing of the 4contents ofthe basket and will not injurethe contents of the basket; that no kseparate or independent fasteners are required to be attached to the top or v cover T; that in applying the coverV T to the basket, its edge is received between the upstanding spaced por-v tions 18 and 17 of the fastener 'and thereby held from radial shifting movements during the fastening operation `thereby insuring that the edge or rim hoop 15 of the coverwill always lie upon the top edge ,of the basket; and, when the parts 17 and 18' have been moved to interlocking position as shown in Figures 3 and 4, each'fastener en#V gages the opposite sides of the rim 15 of the cover T and prevents shifting movement of the cover, which movement in other. forms of fasteners very frequently loosens orv destroys the fasteners, resulting in at! tendant. disadvantages well recognized in the art. f

As shown in Figure 5, the leg portions 17 of the fastener may be twisted together or they may be of unequal lengths, as shown in Figure 6, so that only one of the leg portions forms the interengaging memberwhich interlocks with the bight of the fastener.

What is claimedis:

A fastener for a receptacle having a reinforcing hoop at the top of said receptacle, said fastenercomprising a substantially U- shaped length of wire having an open and a closed end, said open end being driven through the side of said receptacle and said reinforcing hoop,.0ne of said ends being bent upwardly on the inside of said receptacle and adapted to extend through an opening in the cover Vtherefor and then bent downwardly overthe rim of said cover, the

other of said ends being bent upwardly on the outside of said receptacle, the open end -of said fastener passing through the closed ture. Y

l WILLIS W.k HARGROVES, JR.

be moved or disengaged from lnterengaging Y relation therewith to the position shown in 

